


Doing All Right

by Skyepilot



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Alien Sex, Awkward dad, Bobbi/Mockingbird, Bonding, Coulson finding excuses to spend time with Skye, Coulson likes chocolate, Coulson's sweet tooth, Date not date, Evil dad, F/M, Flirting, Humor, Hunter is nosy, Hunter just wants to know what the deal with Skoulson is, Hunter's ex wife issues, Ice Cream, Kissing, Lance was right, Male bonding over ice cream, Sex, Sexual Tension, Shipscuses, Skye and Coulson ignoring other people in the room, Skye confronting her father, Skye planning ops again, Sneaking Out, Talking, business as usual, skye's powers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-22
Updated: 2014-10-24
Packaged: 2018-02-22 05:47:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2496716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skyepilot/pseuds/Skyepilot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tumblr discussions and shipscuses.  Hunter tries to get to the bottom of Phil and Skye's relationship.  Phil and Skye go on a non-date date.  Get physical.  Meet Skye's dad. All the while being observed by Hunter and Trip. Finished.</p><p>Title from the Queen song of the same name.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [RowboatCop](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RowboatCop/gifts).



“They haven’t come out of there yet?” Trip asked, looking up the stairs at the office door.

“Been how long, now?” Hunter asked, digging the spoon into the pint of ice cream.

“Couple of hours,” Trip added, leaning back in his chair at the desk in the ready room, licking ice cream off of the spoon.

“So.”

“Yeah.”

“What’re your theories?”

“About what?” Trip said, glancing over at Hunter with suspicion.

“All of _that_ ,” Hunter said, spacing his words out carefully, then wiggling his eyebrows.

Trip just shook his head. “None of my business.  _And_ , none of yours.”

“Oh, playing defense, then.  Let me guess?  Team Coulson.”

Trip chuckled. “I don’t have a team, man.”

“Sure you do,” Hunter said, taking his feet off the table.

“Director Coulson hasn’t been himself lately,” Trip said, finally. “Maybe that will change now?”

“Looking out for him, good man.  And our bubbly little Skye.  She and the Director _were_ …?”

Trip just stared at him, expressionless.

“ _Are_ …?” Hunter continued.

He finally gave up with a frown, slumping his shoulders.

“Fine.”

“To tell you the truth, I don’t know what they are,” he said with a shrug.

“Weird.  Definitely.  I would start with weird,” Hunter said. “The both of them.  It’s like they dance around it.  She talks about him.  He talks about her.  They barely speak to each other.”

“Last year, he thought he’d lost her,” Trip said, reminiscing.  “We came back from a field mission and she was gone.  He definitely had a moment.”

“Gah,” Hunter said, chuckling, standing.  “What did _that_ look like?”

“Guy is smooth, man.  Knows how to keep it under control,” Trip said with a nod.

“How did you know then?” Hunter asked, settling his back against a column.

“Well, he kept looking at a video of her holding hands with Ward. Like, he was trying to work something out.”

“HYDRA duffer in the basement?” he asked with surprise.

“Yeah.”

“Oh, she’s done with him,” Lance said, stepping forward to dig the spoon back down into the ice cream.

“I asked him if he was going to freak out, and he said he’d get to it later,” Trip smiled.

“How’d you guys get her back?”

“He did.  By himself,” Trip said, smirking at Hunter’s expression.

“That’s that, then,” Hunter said.  “Mr. Professional, ‘Just keepin’ my secrets and working on saving the world so can you sit still and just let me do my job for once?’”

Hunter looked up to see Trip giving him a look.

“ _What_?”

“How are you managing to make _this_ about your ex?” Trip asked.

“You have no idea,” Hunter said.

“Bobbi seems alright to me.”

“Says a man never having been on the receiving end,” Hunter began. “You know what I told her: that it’s just a job.”

Trip laughed. “Man, you don’t know Skye _at all_.”

“No, I told _Bobbi_ that.  But, Skye, too.  Anyway, c’mon,” Hunter said, digging his spoon in again.  “Have some more.”

Trip eyed him dubiously, “Nah, it’s all yours. I’m not a double dipper.”

Hunter rolled his eyes and slid the pint nearer to him across the table.

“Suit yourself.”

Trip got to his feet when the door opened from above them.

Skye appeared from within, walking down, talking to Coulson over her shoulder who followed close behind.

“Like two peas in a pod,” Hunter said cheerfully as they reached the bottom of the staircase and finally noticed them there.

Trip rolled his eyes.

“Hunter,” Skye said, annoyed. “Hey, Trip.”

Trip beamed at Skye.

“He gets a smile, and I get a fat lip?” whined Hunter.

“Sir,” Trip said, grinning over at Coulson.

“Gentlemen,” Coulson said, looking past them to the pint sitting on the table. “Enjoying your evening?”

“Just sharing some ice cream, having some guy time,” Hunter said.

Skye crossed her arms and looked him over.

“Chocolate Fudge Brownie,” Hunter said slowly, leaning towards Skye.

She raised her eyebrows, leaned back.

“ _Really_?” Coulson asked, suddenly intrigued.

“There’s an extra spoon on the table,” Trip quickly offered. “But, Hunter’s been double dipping.”

Coulson winced, glanced over at Skye.

“You’re going to let that stop you?” she teased, tilting her head at him.

“I have standards,” he said, defensively, gazing back at her.

“And, we are… _invisible_ ,” Hunter said, shrugging and looking over at Trip.

“I’m sorry, Hunter,” Coulson said, turning to narrow his eyes at him. “Did you need something?”

“ _No_ ,” Hunter said, chilly, walking over to the table and swooping up the ice cream container in his hand.  “My date and I would like some privacy, thank you.  'Nite.”

He turned on them and walked out of the room.

“What did I say?” Coulson asked, glancing over at Trip.

Trip just smirked and shook his head, taking one last look at Skye before following Hunter’s exit.

“What was that?” Coulson asked, perplexed.

“I think he’s still bitter about you bringing on his ex,” Skye offered. “He’s been kind of erratic this past week.”

“Hmm,” Coulson said, mulling it over. “Actually, she was here first. Technically.”

“Okay,” Skye said, changing the subject. “I’m going to call it a night, so, see you…”

“I can’t stop thinking about ice cream now,” he interrupted, blinking.

“I see,” Skye said.

“Do you?  Would you want to…?”

He was obviously struggling with making the request.

“Walk with you to the commissary?” she asked, taking a stab at it.

“Or,” he started, thinking it over. “We could go…undercover?”

“HYDRA…has an ice cream shop?” she said, trying not to laugh at him.

“HYDRA could be anywhere,” he replied.  “We could stake one out.  Just to be sure.”

“Alright,” she said, looking him over. “I’ll just go change out of my tactical gear.”

“Sounds good,” he said.  “The bike?  That way we can just get in and out.”

“ _Right_ ,” she said.


	2. Chapter 2

"This is fun, right?"

" _Weird_."

"But fun."

Skye laughed nervously and dug her spoon back into her cup of ice cream.

"Is there anything I can do," he said with a smile, leaning down slightly, "To make this even _slightly_ less awkward?"

"Maybe we could just walk around?" she asked, glancing back up. "Instead of sitting alone in here? I can hear an echo, I think."

Coulson glanced around and saw the clerk behind the counter frozen, mid-sweep.

They made eye contact and the kid flicked the switch that turned the open sign at the window above their heads off.

"I think he's trying to close," Skye whispered, leaning across the tiny bistro table. “And, that it’s safe to say, he’s not HYDRA.”

"Okay," Coulson agreed, getting up.

They grabbed their cups as Skye looked over and said thanks to the kid as Coulson held the door open, waiting.

After walking a bit in companionable silence, Skye bumped her shoulder against his, looking down at his ice cream.

"How's your caramel-chocolate-pretzel-whatever?"

"You're making fun again," he said, shrugging. "I would have explained it to you, but, now, I’m not so sure."

Skye chuckled. "I see. There's a greater principle here at work."

"Yes, Ms. Vanilla."

They left the strip mall and then were in a suburban area, walking the sidewalks of a nice, unassuming middle class neighborhood. All the houses looked the same except for the occasional differentiation by mailbox style.

"Sometimes you just need to keep things simple," she said, finishing her ice cream, and raising her eyebrows at him.

She was looking over his jeans and t-shirt.  And, she didn’t ever think Coulson could own a pair of sneakers. But, apparently he did.

He stopped and waited as she tossed the cup into one of the trash bins at the intersection.

"So," she said, putting her hand on the crook of his arm. "Explain this concoction to me."

Coulson started walking again, dug in his spoon, took a bite.

"Sweet, salty, savory," he said, mouth half full.

"Are you going to share?" Skye asked after a moment.

He glanced back at her cautiously, then stopped.

"Sure. If you're up for trying something new."

Handing over his spoon, she took it and swirled it in the cup as he held it, making sure to get a few of the bits.

She put it in her mouth and caught a piece of pretzel falling out with her fingers.

"Sorry," she said, crunching. "It's good."

Watching her a little too eagerly was making him self-conscious, feeling caught up in the moment, standing on this ordinary street, dressed like ordinary people.  He was trying to remember the last time he’d seen Skye in a flannel shirt. It had been ages.

"I like trying new things," Skye sighed, before dropping his spoon back in the cup.

Coulson stared down at the cup in his hand.

"Excuse me," he said, walking away.

Skye turned her back and rolled her eyes.

"Smooth moves, Skye," she muttered to herself under her breath.

She heard his footsteps come closer to her and she put on a smile, turned around.

"Hi."

" _Skye._ "

It had barely left his lips before he drew her into his arms and kissed her. It was a lot like the last time they'd been this close. His hand in her hair. But she could feel his mouth hot against hers, lips pressing in, soft and gentle, teasing at wanting more, but still cautious.

Just enough to leave a taste of chocolate behind.

“I thought about asking first,” he whispered, face close to hers. “But, I didn’t want to make it...awkward.”

“This isn’t exactly a date,” she noted.

“No,” he agreed. “If I had asked,” he said, his brow asking a question. “Would you have said yes?”

“I don’t know,” she answered honestly, pulling him down towards her to kiss again.

His arms wrapped around her waist, then, his whole body pressing up against hers when her tongue moved against his.

“Coulson,” she said, drawing back from him a little, her hands still on him.

“Sorry,” he answered with an apologetic look, a little breathless.  “It’s been awhile.  For me.”

She let her fingers slide down his arm until she took his hand in hers, wrapping her fingers around his.

“We still don’t know what I am,” she began.

“Skye, I was brought back from the dead by alien DNA,” he quickly replied. “But, if it concerns you, or, if it doesn’t feel right…”

She touched his face and with a crooked smile, she slid her hand around behind his head and kissed him deeply this time, just to make her feelings on the subject clear.

“What brought all of this on?” she asked a few moments later.

“I missed you,” he said, his thumb tracing over her chin.  “I was keeping secrets from you, and I hated myself for it.  Every time I’d see you, it was just a reminder.”

“Good,” she said, nodding her approval, studying him more closely.  She didn’t think she’d ever been this close to him for this long since they’d known each other.

“I mean, I think I actually talked to a door at one point,” he said, a little embarrassed at the recollection.

“No, I heard you,” she said.  “I was just done with that conversation.”

“Thanks. For that.”

“It’s really nice to see you in something other than a suit,” she said, after a moment.

He smiled and looked down at the sidewalk, getting a little self-conscious.

“You almost look…real,” she said.

Frowning a little at that, he looked up at her. “What’s that mean?”

“Like,” she said, stepping closer to him and sliding her hand up his wrist and over his arm. “Something I could have.”

“ _Oh_.”


	3. Chapter 3

“Bad timing?”

Hunter stood in the door to Coulson's office. He could swear he just caught the other man's hand dropping casually to his side.

And he was pretty sure it had been on her hip moments before.

“What do you need, Hunter?” he asked calmly. 

But was there just a hint of edge to his tone?

Skye smiled briefly up at Hunter before touching Coulson lightly on the shoulder and walking back to the desk.

“I want to discuss _certain_ arrangements concerning _certain_ persons currently getting under my skin.”

“Certainly,” Coulson said from behind a thinly veiled smirk.

“Director, I can't do field missions with her,” he said, a plea in his eyes. “I can't.”

“So, you're resigning then?” Coulson asked, frowning slightly.

“ _What_? No!”

“Good.” He shrugged, at Hunter.  “Look. I'm doing my best,” he said, gesturing with his hands as he sat on the edge of the desk. “You know we're short staffed.”

“ _Doing your best_? But what's this, then?” Hunter said, shoving the piece of paper in his hand towards Coulson.

Coulson looked concerned and took it, reading it over.

“Skye.”

“Sir,” she said appearing between them, looking very composed, hands behind her back.

“Is this really necessary?” he asked her.

Hunter’s eyes grew wider as he looked between them.

“ _She's_ designing the ops now!?” he cried.  “It makes complete sense,” he added, throwing up his hands.

Skye watched his dramatics with detached curiosity.

“You wanted May on point,” she said, looking at Coulson.  “They're the distraction to keep the guards busy. Based on their history,” she shrugged. “I thought it made the most sense.”

“ _What the hell?!_ ” exclaimed Hunter.

“Just fight with her like you've done since the minute she got here,” Skye said, raising her voice.

“Oh, now that things are all peachy-keen between you two,” he said, gesturing between her and Coulson. “She gets to design my life to be a living hell?”

“Hunter,” Coulson sighed. “We'll put Trip on it instead.”

“Good,” he nodded.  Paused for a moment. “Why Trip?”

Skye shot a knowing look at Coulson.

“Because he can handle it,” Coulson said, starting to get irritated.

“Handle _what_ , exactly?” Hunter said, tapping his foot.

Skye smirked at him.

“You two,” Hunter said.  “ _You two go_. Go and get some practice in for when your time comes.”

Coulson raised his eyebrows.

Trip walked in through the door at that moment and they all turned to look at him.

“Someone say my name?” he grinned.

“Perfect timing, as usual,” Skye said.

Coulson glanced over at Hunter one last time, before turning to Trip. “We need you running decoy on this op with Bobbi.”

Trip stood up straight, crossed his hands behind his back.

“Understood, Sir. You know I'm good.”

“Thank you,” Coulson said.

Hunter looked moderately disgusted by it all.

“Anything else?” Coulson asked, glaring at Hunter.

“No.”

“I'm going to go run over the parameters with May,” he said, looking at Skye before walking out.

As soon as he was gone, Hunter turned to Skye as she crossed her arms.

“You're a horrible human being.”

“I'm probably not even a human being,” she began, with a wicked smile.

“Hey,” Trip warned, frowning over at Hunter.

“You still love her,” Skye said. “It's _so_ obvious.”

“Do not presume…,” he started.

“Maybe it's a chance to start over? Like, how many do you get in this life?” she said, interrupting him.

“How nice,” Hunter began, “now that you and Director zombie, _quite literally_ , I might add, got a second chance at love...”

“ _Excuse me?!_ ”

“This is getting out of hand,” Trip said, standing between them.

Skye looked furious and walked away.

“Not everyone's like you!” Hunter yelled after her as she breached the door.

“Man, you need to relax,” Trip said. “Get a massage or something.”

“Putting me on an undercover op with my ex?” he said, looking at Trip with disbelief. “Cruel and unusual. And her designing the ops now?” he added. “Since when?!”

“It was like that before,” Trip smiled. “Just things getting back to normal. It’s good for business. Trust me.”

“Not my business. But the Director? Getting a bit of ‘How’s your father’ in.”

Trip started to chuckle. “A how’s your what?”

Hunter rolled his eyes. “You know.”

“C’mon,” Trip said.  “The Director wouldn’t do that.  Not here,” he said laughing, thinking about it.

“I know what I saw.”

“What did you see?”

“A hand.”

Trip wrinkled his forehead dubiously.

“A _lingering_ hand,” Hunter added.


	4. Chapter 4

"We've never done this before," she said, pushing them apart.

His hands were pressed up against the motel door on either side of her head, hers were against his chest.

"I know," he said with a smirk. "I was hoping for less talking, more doing."

"Right," she said staring at his mouth and then pulling him back towards her by the back of his neck.

She could feel his jaw working under her fingers as his tongue thoroughly explored her mouth.

"What if I change colors?" she asked suddenly, pulling away, taking a deep breath.

"Sounds...okay?" he nodded, looking for agreement.

He leaned in for a gentle kiss and then felt her teeth on his lower lip and groaned.

"Or if I have scales or..." Her eyes got huge. "A tail?"

Looking right into her eyes, he said, "We'll roll with it."

He kissed his way down her neck.

"You make it sound so easy," she said, sighing, closing her eyes.

"This doesn't by any chance have to do with it having _been awhile_?"

He stopped, his face appearing in front of hers again.

"Absolutely."

They both laughed at that.

"We should talk about this. For real," she said, putting her hand against his chest.

"Right now?" he asked, wincing.

"It won't do us any good after."

He glanced away for a moment, considering.

"Alright," he replied.

Backing away he let her pass to go sit down on the edge of the bed.

This was nearing some new horizon in their relationship. An unexplored territory. It made sense that they might both be nervous if they had normal lives, but this was anything but.

The part that had become a bit of a routine for them, him asking her to accompany him shopping for groceries, for instance, had been very diverting. But it had only made them want something more real and less of the playing at it.

He sat down next to her on the bed, looking over the loose mini dress and biker boots she was wearing. He had fond memories of those boots.

Her hand slid up against the light stubble forming on his chin, and she kissed him softly, almost timidly.

"I just have to know. What I am, what I might become...that you won't...run away."

"That's not going to happen, Skye," he said, fingers playing in the ends of her hair.

"It doesn't mean you still have to love me, just...that you won't run."

"We've talked about this," he said. "We both know I'm dangerous. That what we're doing here, is dangerous."

"Yes, but that's about you," she replied. "You're great at letting me know just how dangerous you are."

"There are many ways to be a monster, Skye," he said, swallowing.

She looked over at him as he stared ahead, and touched her fingers to his, holding them tightly in her grip.

Then she stood up off the bed, taking away her weight, standing before him.

His eyes flickered up to hers.

They stared at one another and as she reached forward and ran her thumb over his mouth, he turned his face to kiss the palm of her hand, closing his eyes.

He opened them when he felt her ease on top of the bed, her legs coming down on either side of him, tipping his chin up to look at her above him.

Her hands went down to the edge of his t-shirt, and she pulled at the hem, taking it up and over his head, then tossing it aside.

"We can go slow," he said. "Be very careful about this," he continued, hands gently on her thighs as he stared back at her.

Skye was examining him, pushed up on her knees, running her hands over his shoulders, down the peppered hair on his chest, lingering there on his scar, and turning her wrists to run her fingers down his stomach. 

She loved the eagerness of him.

Sighing, she wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her forehead against the top of his head, letting her hair fall across his face.

His hands moved to her waist.  He could feel the rise and fall of her chest.

"Slow," he said, running one hand along her ribs, curling his fingers around her breast.

He could feel her elevated heartbeat pulse against his fingers, and as he looked up at her, she kissed him passionately.

His hands dug into her hips forcing her down into his lap, his fingers already at the buttons of her dress.

Her hands were on his shoulders as an anchor, as she tossed her head back, grinding her hips into his, making his hands work that much faster.

"It's just knowing," she breathed. "Knowing, what I am. I didn't before..."

"You're beautiful," he said, holding her face in his hand, looking at her eyes, then at her body, her dress falling open in front of him.

He hauled her into him as she pulled the dress away, shaking it off onto the floor and pushed away at her boots while moving him back against the bed.

"I want to know," she said, crawling over him, stopping to kiss him. "What will happen, if we..."

"The map," he answered, his fingers curling under the edge of her underwear, as he chased after her kiss.

"It's inside of us," she said. And she took apart the belt at his jeans. "Both of us."

"Dangerous," he said. But he had to know, too.

 _"I want it_. "

 


	5. Chapter 5

"Did you mate with this... _thing_?"

Her father looked with revulsion over Coulson's whole person.

"That's none of your business," said Coulson, defensively, looking at the tear in his suit jacket and removing it, tossing it away to the floor.

"And the thing, it has a name, by the way," he continued, rolling up his shirt sleeves.

Hunter's head turned to look at Skye, the gleam of excitement at the possible revelation in his eyes.

Trip stayed focused training his ICER on Skye's father. He wasn't sure what exactly had gone down, but when he and Hunter had arrived, Skye had her father down on the floor and Coulson looked like he'd been manhandled.

"How could you know that?" she said.

"Your abilities.  Something unlocked it."

Skye's eyes grew wide, but she remained silent.

Her father turned back to her, his shoulders heaving with every breath.

"Tell me!!!"

Skye stared coldly back at him. "Don't make me have to kick your ass again."

"Did you exchange genetic material?" he asked, suddenly sounding calm. "Because if you did, you won't survive. The Diviner will destroy you with all the rest."

He tried to make it sound more clinical, more reasonable.

She sighed, her eyes flickering towards Coulson, and he gave her a tiny nod.

"Yes," she said, crossing her arms. "I mean. Once. Or...," she rolled her eyes.  "One and a half times?"

She gestured towards Coulson for confirmation, he shrugged a little, agreeing.

"I don't know what you consider...," she went on.

"Knew it!" interrupted Hunter triumphantly, smiling over at Trip.

Coulson set his jaw and glared at Hunter.

"Well, I did," he said, more quietly as Trip chuckled.

"It's not funny!!!" Skye's father yelled.

They all stared back at him.

"I gave them the weapon because we would survive it," he said, pointing his finger at her. "Only us. Now...now...!"

He yelled and overturned the table in the office next to them in a rage, sending it flying with a crash through the glass window of the office building.

"Oookay," said Hunter.

"That's not helping," Skye said.

"All I wanted," her father said, collapsing to his knees. "Was to have my family back."

"Then help us to stop them," Coulson said, stepping towards him.

Her father's head shot up, he looked like he wanted nothing more than to tear him to pieces.

"This is your fault," he began, rising up.

"No," Skye said, stepping between them. "This is _your_   fault! You are prepared to kill everyone and everything I love, and then think that I would ever consider you my family or a part of my life?!"

" _Please_ ," he said, his hand reaching towards her desperately.

"You're a genocidal maniac," she said, nodding her head.

" _Skye_ ," Coulson said, reaching out towards her. "Maybe help to...calm...him down?"

Skye stepped backwards to stand next to Coulson.

"I've made my choice," she said, looking at Coulson as a flicker of sweet emotion played across his face.

"I know I'm a monster," her father said, staring down at his hands.

"Then choose. To stop. _Today_. Right now."

"Let us help you," Coulson offered, putting his hand out.

"You should all be terrified of me," he said, glancing at each of them.

"Believe it or not," Trip said. "We've seen worse."

"My ex, for example," said Hunter.

"You talk too much," Skye's father said to Hunter, his eye twitching. "Even when people aren't talking to you."

"Yeah, Hunter," Coulson said, "I need you to step out, get in touch with May, figure out where they're at with tailing Whitehall."

Trip looked over at Hunter.

"Trip, go with him," Coulson added.

"Sir," Trip said, with a concerned look, glancing back at Skye's father.

"We're good," he said as Trip lowered the weapon and left.

"There's someone on our team," Skye said calmly. "She's a biospecialist, and used to working with...people like us. She can help."

"People like us...," her father repeated.

"Yes," Coulson nodded, his hand still out awkwardly. "People like us."

"You're...?" he replied, narrowing his eyes at Coulson.

"It's a long story, but, I acquired similar DNA. It was unstable, but, your daughter, uh...stabilized it."

"Is that what I did?" Skye asked quietly with a smirk.

"Phil," he said, flexing his hand again towards her father.

Skye's father took it slowly, shook it. Then let go.

"What do you know about Whitehall's plan?"

"I know how to stop it," her father said, looking them both over. "I can teach you to survive it."

"Good," Skye said. "Let's hope you can teach everyone else."


End file.
